


Twice, I've seen this world

by Magn0liablossoms



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, I Tried, No beta we die like the pale king, Other, Quirrel Needs a Hug (Hollow Knight), Self-Indulgent, Suicidal Thoughts, The Knight is Called Ghost (Hollow Knight), They/Them Pronouns for The Knight (Hollow Knight), quirrel gets a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:55:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29347752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magn0liablossoms/pseuds/Magn0liablossoms
Summary: Ghost and Quirrel meet at the blue lake.Or: Cannon made me sad so I wrote this to make me feel better
Relationships: The Knight & Quirrel (Hollow Knight), The Knight/Quirrel (Hollow Knight)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 56





	Twice, I've seen this world

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't very good, but it was cathartic as hell to write  
> I hope you like it!

The City of Tears is beautiful, with the rain that shines like gems falling from the blue lake, and it's even prettier without the looming responsibility of Lurien swinging over their head. Two dreamers down, one to go. Ghost was not particularly looking forward to going further into Deepnest. 

Either way, now they need to decide their next move. They didn't want to go straight to Herrah; there was so much to do in this dying kingdom, and they were in no rush. Maybe charm gathering? Filling out more of their map? Checking their essence reservoir, they realized that a visit to the Seer was far overdue. Well, that's as good of a next stop as any. The Seer was sure to appreciate the company. 

Slashing through the sentries and nobles, Ghost made their way to the ornate elevator leading to the Resting Grounds. They've always enjoyed the quiet pocket of time they got in the elevators, the rattle of the chains was excellent white noise. In here, they could almost imagine that they didn't have to have all that responsibility, all that pressure to stop the infection. 

They remember traveling in the wastelands for who knows how long, then suddenly hearing a cry. It was horrible. It was so full of pain and suffering, a desperate scream for relief. Ghost couldn't ignore it. Believe them, they tried. They tried so hard to convince themselves that it was just the wind, just some bug out there that was okay, just dramatic. However, they knew what those sounded like. Those didn't ever carry the hurt that this scream had. Those didn't ever sound like they were rattling around in their brain, scrambling their thoughts to the point where they had to physically stop and sit down. Eventually, they gave in to the pull. They followed the shriek to a dying kingdom, _this_ dying kingdom, Hallownest. 

And they don't regret it at all.

The fact that there were people still alive surprised Ghost at the time, but now they understand better. This kingdom- or at least its residents- was frozen. There were buildings with crumbling architecture and debris, yes, but there were also a few places that looked like a snapshot of the old Hallownest. Ghost remembers thinking that the Soul Sanctum looked almost untouched by the hands of time. Well, compared to everything else. The corpses didn't help. And the archives… the archives were gorgeous. The acid seemed to shine like it never did anywhere else, the gold shimmered with the sparkling of electricity. And Monomon had looked so graceful, floating in her tub of acid before they-

A sudden jerk yanked them out of their thoughts. The elevator had stopped. Ghost wondered how much longer they'd have sat there if the metal-on-metal screech of the chains wasn't so loud. They hopped out of the elevator, intending to make a beeline to the Seer, but something stopped them on their way. The blue lake seemed to have a visitor. Ghost dashed over, immediately identifying the bug.

Quirrel!

Quirrel had been one of the few friendly faces in these ruins. It had blown them away when they met him at the Black Egg and he _hadn’t_ tried to kill them. Since then, Ghost had seen Quirrel periodically, and has come to look forward to every meeting. What would he have to say here? Would he have new stories? Ghost would give all their geo to spend more time with him. The last time they'd seen him, they had just ~~killed~~ freed Monomon, and he seemed just… _tired._ They'd thought, at the time, that Quirrel was just exhausted from the fight. _They_ definitely were, so they had let him be, as he needed to mourn and they needed a nap. They were glad to see that he'd moved, and a memory of an earlier conversation flickered in their head. He _had_ said that he wanted to see where all that water in the City of Tears came from. 

Ghost decided that it was time to announce their presence. They hopped over and sat down next to Quirrel. They were going to give a cheerful wave, but it became clear that he hadn't even noticed them. His eyes were glazed over as he gazed across the bright, glowing waters. Ghost tapped his shoulder and he startled. He almost looked panicked for a second before he realized who was there.

"Again we meet, my short friend." Ghost nods enthusiastically, and Quirrel lets out a mirthless laugh. He looked back towards the lake. "Here at last, I feel at peace. Twice I've seen this world and though my service may have stripped the first experience from me, I'm thankful I could witness its beauty again." The lake stood still, the only sound other than Quirrel coming from the distant hum of vengefly wings. 

The two sat for a while, and Ghost thought back to what he'd said before they'd ~~killed~~ _freed_ Monomon. He'd told them not to hesitate, that "you and her agree that this must be done." Ghost hadn't missed the fact that he'd left himself out of the list. But they did it anyway. When they woke up from the dream realm, they'd almost missed the overwhelming sadness that enveloped Quirrel. No, sadness isn't right. It was a mix of emotions- relief, tiredness, irritation, despair- that was quickly covered up with a blank look when Ghost stood up. They were aware of the situation with his memories, but they hadn't thought it would do _this_ to him.

They missed the happiness and wonder.

"Hallownest is a vast and wondrous thing, but in as many wonders as it holds, I've seen none quite so intriguing as you," Quirrel said with a weak voice. Ghost looked at him and took a moment to register what he'd just said. If they could move their face, they would have looked somewhat awestruck. Quirrel continued. 

"Ha. My flattery returns only silent stoicism. I like that. I like that very much." He lifted his hand to cup Ghost's cheek. Ghost leaned into the touch. 

"...Incredible." Quirrel dropped his hand to his side. Ghost missed the warmth. They wished they could talk, so they could comfort him with more than just their presence. Taking a pebble in their fingers, they scratched some words in the sand. It wasn’t the neatest writing, but it was legible. 

_What are you going to do now?_

Quirrel looked at the message for long enough that they'd started to doubt their earlier confidence on its legibility, when he let out a deep sigh.

"Ghost… I think my journey is ending here. I've fulfilled my purpose, I don't think there's anything left for me. I'm just… so _tired,_ friend. I can't remember _any_ of my past, but it still feels like I've lived forever. You have to understand. I just want release."

Ghost stared at him incredulously, waiting for him to say that he didn't mean that, that it was a joke. That moment never came. Their heart sank, and they wanted to hug him so badly. They wanted to wrap their arms around him and tell him that there's so much more that he can do. Sadly, they can't do both of those at the same time, so they swiped away their other message.

_You're a pretty crappy adventurer._

Ghost heard Quirrel gasp, felt confusion radiating off of him.

_You finish one adventure and now you stop? I thought you had "an obsession with uncharted places." I thought we were "vigilant explorers." There is so much out there, and you're stopping here?_

Ghost noted that Quirrel was crying. They kept their eyes on him, waiting for a response. 

"Ghost, I-" He sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry. I just- I can't. I'm so sorry."

Ghost slammed their pebble into the sand in frustration. Their hands were shaking. Oh, they were crying too. A solid warmth placed itself on their back, and they looked up. Quirrel rubbed his hand in little circles on their back. Void tears were flowing down their mask and they jumped into Quirrel's arms. Their arms didn't reach all the way around him, and he was practically folded over them. He was muttering a mantra of apologies. 

Ghost didn't want Quirrel to leave. He was a steady presence in a volatile land. They’d wanted him to be with them every step of the way. They wanted to explore with him, save Hallownest with him, maybe explore the wastelands with him. When had the thought of Quirrel being gone fallen under the category of "things that should never happen, ever?" Ghost untangled themselves from Quirrel's embrace and picked the pebble back up. They had to write slowly so they could see through the tears.

_Please don't go._

Quirrel looked torn. He kept looking at the lake, then at Ghost, then the lake again. He was quiet. They wrote again. 

_I love you. Please._

At this, they heard Quirrel sob. 

"I- Ghost- What is there left for me?"

_I don't know, but I'll find it._

Ghost stood up, extending a hand. It was kind of pointless given their stature, but it was the thought that counts. Quirrel took it. 

"Where to, my friend?"


End file.
